April 03, 2003

This extract from Kimel's blog compares two major papers on the same issue and thus indicates how biased reporting can get. Please use links in the Kimel link for jumping to articles cited

Our friends Molly Moore and John Ward Anderson seem to do whatever they can to paint Israel in a bad light -- even when Israeli civilians are victims of suicide bombers. Compare the Post's coverage of yesterday's bombing in Netanya with that of the NY Times. First, from WaPo's story:

The continuing attacks have left emotions raw. Nihad Yassim, 33, and his wife, Fatmah, 32, an Israeli Arab couple, rushed from their table at the restaurant next door to assist a wounded soldier who was writhing in pain on the sidewalk.

"My husband tried to help the soldier, but a civilian nearby jumped on us because my husband was speaking to me in Arabic and the man suspected him of being connected to the bomber," said Fatmah, who is seven months pregnant and was having contractions at the hospital after the incident. "I was deeply hurt by this. It's as if it's not my country and I don't have the right to live in it."

Here's what James Bennet of the Times wrote:

Mr. Yassin, the Israeli Arab, said he was separated from his wife in the chaos. He rushed bottled water to wounded soldiers, he said, and then, as rescue workers arrived, went to look for her.

Once he found her, he said, he addressed her in Arabic. He said an Israeli man then accosted him, demanding to know where he was from and summoning the police.

Mr. Yassin said the policeman realized he was a victim, not a suspect, and helped him to an ambulance.

When the mayor of Netanya, Miriam Feierberg, visited Mr. Yassin at his bedside today, Mrs. Yassin told her about the incident.

"People are under pressure," Mayor Feierberg said.

"But I'm under the same pressure," Mrs. Yassin replied.

The mayor said she understood, but added, "When a terror attack happens, everyone's balance is upset, and there's nothing to be done about it."

But I guess one should expect this kind of treatment from the Post, which has a foreign editor who finds Hamas' goals to be "ambiguous."